Hinesburg nears breaking ground on new P.D. station

Millbrook, a Colchester-based construction firm, was selected Aug. 23 by Hinesburg municipal officials to build a 3,500-square-foot police department building in town.

Millbrook, a Colchester-based construction firm, was selected Aug. 23 by town officials to build a 3,500-square-foot police department building in town.

The bid came in at $899,450, pared down from $949,700. The reduction is due to eliminating a utility pipe and placing an asphalt roof on the structure rather than a more expensive one. Contracts will be signed Aug. 28. A total of three bids were submitted. The two toher bids outpaced Millbrook's by about $1 million.

According to Hinesburg Police Chief Frank Koss, 11 bids firms attended a pre-construction bid meeting. The town decided to build a new police station, citing needed additional safety for officers, employees and visitors, Koss added, while lessening liability for the town. Also, Hinesburg has no holding cell if someone under arrest "acts up," and those individuals must be transported to neighboring Shelburne, This new space will eliminate that, Koss said. "This is an early 1900s farmhouse, not a police station," said Koss, during a phone interview Monday morning.

Voters narrowly approved a $1,055,200 bond by a vote of 476-426 at March Town Meeting. Koss noted that if all permits are approved by state and local officials, construction could start Sept. 16, wrapping up next spring. Currently, Hinesburg has six full-time sworn officers; 32 part-time law enforcement personnel and three others Koss could contact if he needed help. He mentioned he had no additional plans to expand staff once the new building is completed.

"We're in pretty good shape," he added.

The police station is slated to be built next to the existing fire station, but not connected to it.